His Excellency Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, affirmed that the time has come for a concerted effort to end all chronic conflicts and protracted civil wars, and that moving forward depends on how to deal with past crises, noting that joint efforts to crisis management in the region will not succeed without a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian question.
In his address to the Kingdom-hosted Jeddah Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, His Excellency explained that the region is suffering from serious political, developmental and security challenges, including the risk of terrorism spreading in ways that affect the stability of our peoples. and also threaten the rights of future generations.
President Al-Sisi expressed gratitude and appreciation to the countries participating in the summit, which has a clear political significance, reaffirming the determination to develop partnership between the Arab countries and the United States of America, whether on a bilateral level or more broadly. regional framework in such a way that they can move towards a wider horizon of cooperation in a way that meets the aspirations and interests of the peoples in order to achieve mutual benefit and maintain the security and stability of the entire region.
President Sisi said: The aggravation of global and regional crises, such as the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, food security and the spread of international and regional armed conflicts, which have cast a shadow over all of humanity, including our Arab region, which is facing serious political, developmental and security concerns, including risks The spread of terrorism in ways that affect the stability of our peoples and also threaten the rights of future generations.
President Sisi introduced a comprehensive approach that includes five axes to move forward on priority issues in the next phase to serve our desired goals towards a more stable and prosperous region, represented, first, that moving forward depends on how to cope with the extended crises of the past, our joint efforts to resolve the crises in the region, whether those that have been resolved during the past decade or those that have lasted until then, can only be successful by achieving a just, comprehensive and final settlement of the first Arab question , which is a Palestinian issue, based on a two-state solution based on relevant references of international legality. It guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It reinforces the values of coexistence and peace, as well as the prospects that he reveals and embodies. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify our joint efforts not only to revive the peace process, but also to bring it this time to a final and irreversible solution in order to become the impetus on which the peace efforts in the region are based.
Second: Building a society from within on the basis of democracy, citizenship, equality, respect for human rights, rejection of sectarian and extremist ideologies, upholding the concept of national interests is the guarantor of sustainable stability in its comprehensive concept, preserving the capabilities of peoples, and preventing their theft or misuse . This requires strengthening the role of the nation-state with a unifying identity, supporting the pillars of its constitutional institutions, developing its own capabilities, personnel and capacity to carry out its tasks of laying the foundations of good governance, providing security, enforcing the law. , resisting external forces, providing an enabling environment for fundamental rights and freedoms, creating opportunities for women and youth, and strengthening the role of civil society as a partner in the development process, as well as the role of religious institutions and leaders in promoting a culture of moderation and tolerance in a way that guarantees the implementation of the right to freedom of religion and belief, and dedicate a process of political, economic and social reform, promote investment and provide employment opportunities leading to sustainable development; In response to the desire of our peoples for a better future, they participate in its construction and enjoy the fruits of its achievements without discrimination.
Third: this axis is linked to Arab national security, which is an integral part of it, and what the Arab countries have in their own capabilities in cooperation with their partners is enough to provide a proper basis for eliminating any dangers that threaten our Arab world. , emphasizing that the principles of respect for the sovereignty of states, non-interference in their internal affairs and brotherhood. Equality is what governs inter-Arab relations, and it is the same thing that is provided for in the spirit and purpose of the Charter of the United Nations. , and it should also be the same that governs the relations of the Arab countries with their regional neighbors, and at the international level. In the context of considering the concept of integrated regional security, we cannot but emphasize the need to take practical steps leading to tangible results towards the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, while strengthening the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in this regard and maintaining the system non-proliferation, which is the cornerstone of an integrated system of regional security in the region.
Fourth, terrorism remains a serious problem that has plagued Arab countries for decades. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology in all their forms and manifestations with the aim of eliminating all their organizations and armed groups deployed in many parts of the Arab world, which enjoy the patronage of some external forces to serve their destructive goals, raise weapons to achieve political and material gains, impede the implementation of national settlement and reconciliation, impede the implementation of the will of the peoples in some countries. Rather, its ability to conduct cross-border operations has developed, emphasizing that there is no place in the region for the concepts of militias, mercenaries and gun gangs, and that their supporters who provided they have a safe haven AND money, weapons and training, and they have allowed terrorist elements to be transferred from one place to another to check their accounts and erroneous estimates, and to clearly understand that there is no place for complacency in protecting our national security and its associated red lines, and that we will protect our security, interests and rights by all means.
Fifth: This axis is linked to the need to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity to enhance the capacity of the countries of the region to deal with major and emerging global crises such as food shortages, energy market shocks, water security and climate change. change. In order to contain the effects of these crises and overcome their consequences, as well as increase investment in infrastructure development in various fields, which contributes to the localization of various industries, the transfer of technology and knowledge, the abundance of goods, emphasizing that Egypt supports all efforts to promote cooperation and diversification partnerships to counter the current food and energy crises. Emphasizing that overcoming the food crisis requires taking into account its many aspects in the short and long term in order to develop effective mechanisms for rapidly responding to the needs of affected countries through emergency support packages, as well as developing mechanisms for sustainable agricultural production, grain storage and waste reduction in cooperation with partners and international financial institutions. The same applies to overcoming the energy crisis, which requires effective cooperation in our part to ensure the stability of global energy markets, stressing that the successes achieved by the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum in recent years represent the practical embodiment of our political will to cooperate with our partners. and making one of the most important contributions to manage wealth and optimize the use of current and future resources in order to conserve energy sources.
With regard to water security, the President of Egypt stressed the importance of renewed commitment to international river law in order to allow all peoples to enjoy these natural resources fairly, as well as the need to comply with water security requirements. the countries of the region and to prevent the countries of the source of the rivers, which represent the vital paths for all peoples, from violating the rights of the countries located downstream.
On the issue of climate change, President Al-Sisi has made clear that we must continue to work collectively through multilateral international structures related to this important issue, chief among them the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. This is done to ensure that the goals we have agreed on are achieved in accordance with the rules and principles we have adopted, emphasizing that our Arab and African regions are the two regions most affected by the adverse effects of climate change and the consequent impacts on food, energy and water security, social peace and political stability. Therefore, everyone must agree to support Arab and African countries, enable them to fulfill their respective international obligations and increase their ability to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change, so that this vision contributes to overcoming the financial liquidity crisis and boosting climate finance. directed to these countries, as well as supporting and encouraging investment in renewable energy sources.
Regarding the convening of the COP 27 World Climate Summit in November 2022, President Sisi said: “We look forward to welcoming you to Sharm El Sheikh for the World Climate Summit to continue together to reaffirm our strong commitment to climate action and turn this challenge into a real opportunity for development and transition to greener economic models Sustainability for the benefit of all the peoples of the earth.
President Sisi noted that he is interested in seeing those present share the five axes on which Egypt’s vision is based on addressing current challenges in order to put our region on the path of comprehensive and sustainable stability, and that we together start a new chapter of the strategic partnership between our countries and peoples, based on mutual trust and support, upholding common interests, sharing burdens and responsibilities, solidarity, taking into account the circumstances and private life of each society, its experience, customs, customs and traditions, and the challenges it faces, in accordance with the concept of integration civilizations in our modern times.
At the end of his speech, President El Sisi thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the warm welcome and generous hospitality.